I first heard about the Freedom’s Run race series through a friend at work, and a few of us made plans to run it together. As often happens because, well, life is always happening, I ended up without a dedicated running partner. No matter! The more people I talked to about the race, the more excited I was:

“It’s so beautiful! It’s such a gorgeous run.”

“Best race I’ve done. Just breath taking.”

“Oh yeah, I did that one! Just watch out for the hill.”

… we’ll get to that later.

The Freedom’s Run website describes the race and its history thusly:

The Freedom’s Run has a rich history that began with the vision of Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Lois Turco to promote a healthier lifestyle in West Virginia. The event was created to showcase the beauty of the region and provide locals with an active way to stay healthy. Over the years, the Freedom’s Run has grown into a significant community event, with proceeds from the race contributing the local trails and health initiatives. The event’s route takes runners through historical landmarks, including the Antietam Battlefield and the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, making it a unique and educational experience for participants. The Freedom’s Run has also been recognized by Runner’s World Magazine as one of the “Top 25 Half Marathons,” highlighting its popularity and quality.

As race day approached, there was some trepidation about the race route, as there was a non-zero chance that we wouldn’t be able to run through the battlefields due to the shutdown. Still, the race directors had a plan! The 5K and 10K courses would remain the same, while the half and full marathons would run the C&O canal rather than the battlefield route – which, those in the know informed me, was the original race route.

Race day dawned, and I made the foggy trek out to Shepherdstown and the start line. The morning was cool enough that I had a light jacket on, which was quickly tied around my waist before the run began. The marathon had started before I had arrived, but I was able to cheer on the half marathoners!

The 10K started not too soon after, and I had a really nice time chatting with a few of my 500 new friends. We discussed pacing, hills, the scenery, hills, how it would feel when the marathoners started passing us, hills, and hills. There were a lot of volunteers around the University campus – a mix of Air Force cadets (?) and maybe some members of the University cross country team, if their sweatshirts were to be believed. They cheered heartily and really made that long descent out of the campus and onto the James Rumsey Bridge really enjoyable.

The fog was still in full effect as we ran along the bridge, and more than a few of us slowed to take a few pictures.

And then … the downhill.

Now friends, if you’re familiar with the Freedom’s Run series, or the C&O canal trail in and around this area, you know what I’m talking about. This bridge ends and then it’s a long switchback down, down, down to the river and the canal – absolutely amazing at the start of the race when you’re fresh and it’s, you know, downhill.

But you know – you know – that you’re going to have to climb back up that thing at the end.

And now I understand why everyone was telling me to “save some in the tank” for the end.

At the bottom of the bridge, the 5K and 10K groups split – we went upriver while they went down. It was an out-and-back course where we parallelled the river the whole way, just enjoying the crisp morning air and the glassy stillness of the water. I had a great time running and chatting with a few people – I kept my pace conversational and my intervals at around a 5:3, wanting desperately to “leave some in the tank” for the end.

And then came the hornets.

About a few hundred yards from the turnaround point, we passed through a small break in the trees, and I could see the runners in front of me flailing about. I had no idea what was happening until I got closer and realized it was a swarm of some very angry, very large, and very stingy insects.

I lucked out and didn’t get stung, but unfortunately the guy I was pacing at the time did. He was alright, thankfully, just said it was quite painful. We were relieved to have survived the encounter, and then realized we’d have to run through it again on the way back.

Our strategy was to keep our heads down, flail our arms, and sprint. We looked silly but emerged on the other side sting-free! It was definitely a new experience for me – I’ve warned other runners about bikes, cars, strollers, dogs, but never had to say, “Hey, watch out, there’s a swarm of angry hornets ahead.”

On the other side of that, I kept my pace and cruised on back towards the finish line … and the hill.

Steeps, this is why we do hill repeats.

All I could think about the entire time was Coach Sue’s mantra: Head up, look 10 feet ahead, take tiny steps forward.

Head up, look 10 feet ahead, take tiny steps forward.

Over and over and over again until I clawed my way to the top, and that beautiful bridge again. No less impressive on the way back, I was just a bit winded to enjoy it. No rest for the weary, though, there were still more (smaller) hills up the campus and out to the finish line on the football field!

The Air Force cadets were super encouraging, even running a bit with us to keep us going. We ran through the start area, which was lined with cheering folks, and finally ran onto the football field and through the finish archway!

When they advertised that the medals would be “handmade,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. The wooden slice with the carved image certainly wasn’t it! It’s such a neat idea, and a really cool memento of this gorgeous run.

I think I might try the half next year … anyone want to join me?